Aerial tow target



F. G. lvi'fikfil'fioN ETAL AERIAL Tow TARGET Nov. 4, 1941. 2,251,171

sued May 6, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FRANK 6. MANSON J4M$ a. /*24 KEV Nov. 4, 1941. F. G. MAN ON Em 2,261 7 AERIAL TOW TARGET Filed May 6, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //VVE/V TORS FRfl/VK 6 .M4/vs0/v WMES LA M SKEW ent invention.

Patented Nov. 4, 1941 Frank G. Manson and James J. Maskey,

Dayton, Ohio Application May 6. 1941, Serial No. 392.088

7 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured-and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a sleeve type aerial tow target, and has special reference to the construction and arrangement of the mouth end of the target, including the mouth ring and towing bridle.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved collapsible mouth ring for a sleeve target,

to permit compact folding of the target torelatlvely small dimensions to expedite packing and handling andto facilitate launching through a restricted opening. g

A particular object is to provide a folding mouth ring, comprising two semi-circularparts hinged together to fold on a diameter of the ring, for a sleeve-type target.

A further object is to provide an improved bridle for a sleeve-type target having afolding mouth ring, which will insure proper'opening'of the I mouth ring when the target is launched'from an airplane in flight.

Other 'obj ects and advantages reside in the construction of parts, the combination thereof and the mode of operation, as will become more apparent from the following description.

In the drawings; p

- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation view of launching through a restricted opening. The ring 2 comprises a pair of similar semi-circular parts 3 and 4 having diametric elements 5 and 6 disposed in side-by-side relation in the manner il lustrated. stiffening struts I may be provided to add rigidity to the ring. To permit folding the two parts 3 and 4 one upon the other, hinge means are provided on the diametric elements 5 and 6. This hinge arrangement has been conveniently constructed in the present embodiment of strap loops 8 welded to the element 6 so as to loosely encircle the element 5, thus providing free pivotal motion of the part 3 upon the part 4. Projections 9 are provided on the element 5 for preventing longitudinal movement of the element 5 in; the strap loops 8.

The folding ring above described is incorporated into the circular mouth of the target sleeve I, preferably by inclosing' the ring within a a sleeve target constructed according to the pres- Fig. 2 is a plan viewof the mouth ring. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the target prior to opening of the mouth ring, as the target is launched from an airplane in flight.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing one side of the mouth ring in open position as the sleeve begins to fill with air.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the final stage in which the mouth ring has fully opened.

and the sleeve has filled with air. 7

I Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing how the folding mouth ring may refuse to open in 'the air stream if the bridle does not include means for separating the two parts of'the I The tow target of the present invention comstitchedfold in the material of the sleeve. Thering is thereby adapted to hold the mouth of the sleeve in the form of a circular opening and to provide a rigid marginal portion for attachment of the bridle ropes. In the present embodiment, this means of attachment comprises grommets l0 and located at intervals around themargin of the circular opening. This specific means of.

attachment forms no part of the present invention and may take any other form suitable. for attachment of the bridle ropes, either to the fabric ofthe sleeve or to the ring 2 itself. In the preferred embodiment there are a pair of grom mets ll adjacent each of the struts 1 so that a loop of each bridle rope may be passed through each pair ,of grommets in the manner shown. Thus there is a bridle rope l2, l3 leading from each junction of .a strut 1 with the ring 2' to a g towing line attaching ring or eye l5. A pair of v points of the ring. These last mentioned grommets secure the ends of a pair of bridle ropes I6, 1

prises a sleeve I having a circular ring 2 incorporated in the mouth end thereof, for attachment of a towing bridle and to keep the sleeve open andfllled with air in flight. One of the principal features of novelty is the construction of the ring 2 .so as to fold to smaller dimensions to expedite packing and handling; and to permit grommets [HI are also provided adjacent the junction of the diametricmembers 5 and 6 with the parts 3 and 4 respectively, at the folding which terminate at their other ends inthe ring or eye l5. The bridle ropes Hi are similar to the bridle ropes l2 and I3 except that they are connected by a transverse rope member I! at points a distance of about half the ring radius ahead of the grommets l0. The specific arrangement of the bridle described above constitutes an additionalfeature ofnovelty 'designed to insure proper inflation of the target by separating the folding parts of the mouth ring to form a circular opening in the air stream.

This is accomplished by reason of the fact that the transverse member I1 is of a length just sufiicient to span the bridle ropes l6 when they are tensioned by the towing line, which length is seen to be somewhat less than the diameter of the ring 2, thereby constraining the member I! to lie between the two parts 3 and 4 of the folding ring when the latter is folded like a purse in the packing and folding of the sleeve. By maintaining the member l1 always between the parts 3 and 4, tension upon the ring it in launching the target will separate the parts 3 and 4 sufficiently to engage the air stream so as to inflate the sleeve. Without the member I'l, it is some+ times found in launching the target that the bridle ropes will all lie outside of the folded members 3 and 4, being disposed on one side of the ring in such a manner as to prevent the proper inflation of the sleeve by the air stream.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 represent successive stages in the opening of the sleeve target after it is launched from an airplane in flight. When the folded target is caught in the air stream, the

tension exerted upon the eye l5 immediately pulls the ropes l5 taut, allowing the material of the sleeve l to unfold, the semicircular parts 3 and 4 for the moment being considered to be still in their folded position, one against the other, allowing the ropes l2 and I3 to slacken as shown. It ,will be appreciated, however, that the parts 3 and 4 will not remain tightly together, since they are separated by the member l1, which is constrained to occupy the position illustrated. From the momentary condition illustrated in Figure 3, one or the other of the parts 3 or 4 will be immediately opened to its fullest extent by the pressure of the air stream. as illustrated in Figure 4 where it is assumed that the part 3 has been blown open, leaving the part 4 still in the position assumed in Figure 3. The swinging movement of the part 3 will be arrested as the ropes l2 are pulled taut, whereupon the plane of the part 3 will be substantially normal to the line of flight. It will be clearly seen in Figure 4 that the member I] positively prevents the part 4 from following thepart 3 into a plane at right angles to the direction of flight.

In the position of Figure 4, the sleeve I wil rapidly fill with air and draw open the part 4, if this part has not already opened simultaneously with the part 3. Figure 4, therefore, like Figure 3, represents an unstable condition which cannot be maintained in flight. Figure 5, then, represents the fully opened position of the two parts 3 and 4 of the mouth ring, establishing a circular opening at the leading edge of the sleeve I as is desired to be maintained in steady flight.

Figure 6 illustrates an undesirable situation which is found to occur if the transverse member [1 is omitted. The mouth ring and the bridle in Figure 6 correspond to the mouth ring and bridle described above, except for the omission of the member 11. While the bridle shown in Figure 6 will often produce a proper opening of the sleeve, it is found in practice that occasionally, instead of opening, the part 4 will be blown around with the part 3 into a plane more or less normal to the line of flight, the air pressure upon the sleeve material attached to the part 4 holding the said part 4 tightly against the part 3 with the ropes 13 substantially as taut as the ropes l2 and It. When the parts assume this position they remain so in the air stream, witlithe result that the target may be towed indefinitely without opening the mouth ring and inflating the sleeve.

It will be appreciated that the provision of the transverse member I! would positively prevent the part 4 from passing between the bridle ropes IE to assume the position illustrated in Figure 6. With the member I! connecting the ropes it, any air flow condition which might tend to produce the situation shown in Figure 6 could in fact do no more than momentarily hold the part4 in a plane parallel with the line of flight, as in Fig. 4, which, as stated above, has been found to be an unstable position due to the inflation of the sleeve through the open half of the ring. When the condition of Fig. 4 occurs, the ring immediately opens to the'position shown in Fig. 5. The present invention thus not only provides a folding mouth ring for compact folding of a sleeve target. but in addition prevents objectionable fouling of the bridle ropes, and insures the proper opening and inflation of the sleeve, even when packed and launched by inexpert persons.

While we have shown and described but a single embodiment of our invention, it is to be I understood that it is capable of many modiflcations. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a sleeve type aerial tow target, a folding circular mouth ring comprising two semi-circular parts hinged together to fold on a diameter of the ring, and a bridle for towing said target, said bridle comprising a plurality of bridle ropes attached at intervals around the ring and converging to a common point of attachment with a tow line, two of said bridle ropes being attached to the ring at the folding points, and a transverse rope member connecting said two bridle ropes at the approximate distance of half the ring radius ahead of their attachments with the ring, said transverse rope member having a length less than the diameter of said ring.

2. In a sleeve type aerial tow target, a folding circular mouth ring comprising two semi-circular parts hinged together to fold on a diameter of the ring, and a bridle for towing said target, said bridle comprising a plurality of bridle ropes attached at intervals around the ring and converging to a common point of attachment with a tow line, two of said bridle ropes being attached to said ring at the folding points, and a transverse member connecting said two bridle ropes so as to lie between said parts when the latter are folded together.

3. In a sleeve type aerial tow target, a folding circular mouth ring comprising two semi-circular parts hinged together to fold on a diameter of the ring, and a bridle for towing said target, said bridle comprising a plurality of bridle ropes attached at intervals around the ring and converging to a common point of attachment with a tow line, two of said bridle ropes being attached to the ring at the folding points, and means associated with said two bridle ropes to insure separation of the two parts of the mouth ring when the target is launched from an airplane in flight.

4. In a sleeve type aerial tow target, a folding circular mouth ring comprising two semi-circular parts hinged together to fold on a diameter of the ring, and a bridle for towing said target, said bridle comprising a plurality of bridle ropes at- 5. In a sleeve type aerial tow target, a folding circular mouth ring comprising two semi-circular parts hinged together to told on a -diameter, ofi I the ring, and a bridle attached to said ring, said bridle having a part thereoi. constrained to lie between said parts oi said ring when said ring is folded, to insure separation of the two parts of said ring and proper opening. of the sleeve when the target is launched from an airplane in flight.

6. A bridle for a sleeve type aerial tow target having a folding mouth Ting, comprising a pluinflation 01' said sleeve when rality oi bridle ropes adapted for attachment'at intervals around "the mouth of said sleeve and converging to a common point of attachment with a towline, and a transverse member connecting 'two opposite ones or said bridle ropes proper opening of said folding ring and I the target is launched from an'airplane in flight. a W

7. In a sleeve type aerial tow target, a folding circular mouth ring comprising a pair of semicircular parts, each part having a diametric eleto insure me'nt integral therewith, and hinge means cone necting said two elements for folding one oi. said 'parts back upon the other part. 1

FRANK G. MANSON. JALIIES J. MASKEY.- 

